Terminal assembly



Sept. 27, 1966 J. EISERT TERMINAL ASSEMBLY 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov.13, 1963 INVENTOR JOSF E/SERT Sept. 27, 1966 J. EISERT TERMINAL ASSEMBLY5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 13, 1963 INVENTOR. JOSEF E/JffiT Sept. 27,1966 J. EISERT TERMINAL ASSEMBLY 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 13, 1963INVENTOR. JOSEF ISIPT AGENT United States Patent Ofitice 3,275,972Patented Sept. 27, 1966 3,275,972 TERMINAL ASSEMBLY Josef Eisert,Heinrichstrasse 1-7, Essen, Germany Filed Nov. 13, 1963, Ser. No.323,453 Claims priority, application Germany, Nov. 17, 1962, E 23,881 14Claims. (Cl. 339198) My present invention relates to a terminal assemblyof the type wherein a multiplicity of terminal carriers are received inrespective dielectric casings which are positioned side by side in acommon holder.

An object of this invention is to provide an assembly of this type whoseprincipal components can be readily prefabricated and can be shipped orstored in a comparatively small space before the assembly is completedaccording to specific requirements.

Another object of this invention is to provide an assembly of thischaracter which, once completed, is sturdy, compact and substantiallytamper-proof.

The invention realizes these objects by the provision of an elongatedmounting bar to which the several casings are individually attached atclosely spaced locations; the bottom of each casing (ie the side thereofremote from the bar) is at least partly closed to form a support for theterminal carrier which, in turn, is overlain by the bar so as to belocked in place once the casing has been attached to the bar. If the baris made of indefinite length, sections of a desired size can be cut fromit to form the backbones of respective terminal arrays each includingthe desired number of casings. Though these casings could be attached tothe bar after the latter has been cut to size, a more specific featureof the invention resides in making the bar flexible so that it can becoiled in a plane, with the terminal casings already attached thereto,about a center of curvature remote from the casing bottoms whereby thesebottoms are spread apart in the coiling process. I prefer to make themounting bar resiliently deformable but substantially inextensible inthe longitudinal direction, e.g. by fashioning it from rubber orsynthetic elastomers with glass-fiber or other filamentaryreinforcements extending the length of the bar.

When stock of this description has been partly uncoiled and a suitablelength of bar with its casings is cut therefrom, the assembly can becompleted by sandwich ing the row of casings between two end plates andthen securing the entire unit to a base. For this purpose the end platesare advantageously perforated to receive mounting bolts or otherfasteners, yet adhesive bonding can also be used. In particular, theindividual casings may have legs adapted to be cemented directly ontothe base.

In the case of very long assemblies it will be desirable to provide alsointermediate supports that can be mechanically secured to the base,preferably in the form of one or more modified end plates of symmetricaldesign adapted to link together two terminal arrays each with its ownbackbone.

The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to theenclosed drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a terminal assembly according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a side-elevational view of the assembly, shown partly insection on the line IIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line III-III of FIG.1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line IV- IV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a casing with its associated carrierterminal;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a mounting bar forming partof the assembly shown in FIGS. 1-4;

FIG. 7 illustrates a coiled length of stock composed of the bar shown inFIG. 6 and a multiplicity of casings and terminal carriers asillustrated in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 6, showing a modified mounting bar.

The assembly shown in the drawing consists, essentially, of a series ofterminal carriers 1 individually received in respective casings 2 ofnonconductive material (e.g. synthetic resin), these casings beingstrung together by means of an elongated flexible bar 3 of theaforedescribed character which may be initially coiled, prior to finalassembly, in a spiral as shown in FIG. 7.

Each casing 2 has a fiat shape and is formed with a pair of parallelwalls 6 (see FIG. 5) which extend transversely to the direction of bar3. The bottom of the casing, as best seen in FIG. 4, is closed andstepped so as to form a pair of transversely spaced legs 7 separated bya reentrant seat 21. The terminal carriers 1 have bodies of inverted-Ushape straddling the seat 21, the walls 6 being further formed alongtheir sides with shoulders 6a, 6b confining the terminal carriers 1between them. Apart from these shoulders, the casings 2 are laterallyopen in order to enable suitable connections to be made to the terminals22 as indicated at 13.

The walls 6 of each casing 2 are generally formed, above their seats 21,with vertical slots 8 which are closed at the top by narrow bridgepieces 60, these bridge pieces fitting in transverse recesses 11 (FIG.3) of bar 3. The recesses 11 are defined by depending bosses 9, integralwith bar 3, which carry barb-shaped extensions 10 bearing from belowupon the bridge pieces 60 in the assembled state of bar 3 and casings 2(see FIG. 3). Bar 3, with its bosses 9, beers from above upon thecasings 2 so as to clamp them firmly against their seats 21. The bosses9, which constitute transverse projections on the bar 3 as clearly seenin FIG. 6, are in turn formed with lateral protuberances 12 acting asadditional retaining means for the free ends of conductors 13.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 I have shown a pair of end plates 4, 4' by which theunit 1, 2, 3 is secured to a base plate 5. End plate 4 is integrallyformed with a foot 15 which fits into the space between the legs 7 ofthe adjacent casing 2 and is provided with a threaded bore receiving amounting bolt 16. Plate 4, in addition, is provided at its top with apair of overhanging lugs 14 by which it hooks onto the proximal wall 6of the adjacent casing, the lugs 14 thus penetrating from above into theopen top of the casing to lock it in place. End plate 4, which is ofsymmetrical structure, has two pairs of such hooks 14', 14" on oppositesides, the hooks 14' engaging the wall of an end member of the array ofcasings 2 whereas the hooks 14" may be similarly attached to an endmember of a second such array not shown. Plate 4, which in that casebecomes an intermediate support for the combined arrays, has a centralbore 23 traversed by a mounting bolt 16' which is threaded into a bore24 of base 5. It will be understood that plate 4, although not so shown,could also be provided with feet 15 engaging in the bottom recesses ofthe adjacent casings.

The casings 2 may be individually cemented to the base 5 by their legs 7as shown at 25 in FIG. 4.

The flexible bar 3, having filamentary reinforcements designed toinhibit stretching in its principal dimension, advantageously consistsof several layers which are longitudinally juxtaposed, as shown in FIG.4 at 3a and 3b, and which in turn may be subdivided into overlappingsections 3a, 3a and 3b, 3b" with relatively staggered joints as seen inFIG. 6. By the bonding together of a suitable number of sections, barsof any desired length can be produced.

The bar 3 can also be formed with a longitudinal channel 17, preferablydisposed above the casings 2,, adapted to receive a stiffening elementsuch as an elongated metal strip 18; if the channel is upwardly open,the element 18 can also serve as a carrier of numerical or othermarkings 19 identifying the associated casings or terminals.

The modified mounting bar 3A shown in FIG. 8 differs from thatillustrated in the preceding figures by hav ing mushroom-shaped bosses9A depending therefrom, the frusto-conical heads 10A of these bossesserving as locking formations equivalent to the barbs 10 of FIGS. 3 and6. Naturally, bar 3A could also be channeled as described andillustrated with reference to bar 3.

It will be apparent that an assembly as illustrated in FIGS. 14,reinforced if necessary by intermediate mounting plates of the typeshown at 4, resists wanton or accidental destruction in spite of theease with which its components can be fitted together.

My invention is, of course, not limited to the specific embodimentsherein disclosed but may be realized in various modifications anddeviations without departing from the spirit and scope of the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. A terminal assembly comprising an elongated flexible bar ofresiliently deformable but substantially inextensible insulatingmaterial; a series of closely adjacent and substantially identical fiatdielectric casings with at least partly closed bottoms and open topssecured to said bar in the region of said tops, said casings extendingtransversely to said bar and being spreadable at their bottoms upon acoiling of said bar upon a center remote from said bottoms; a series ofterminal carriers respectively received in said casings, said car-riersbeing overlain by said bar; and a base supporting said casings; andfastening means including a pair of end plates securing said casings tosaid base.

2. A terminal assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein each of saidcasings is formed at its bottom with a pair of legs transversely spacedapart, said end plates being provided with feet fitting between the legsof adjacent casings.

3. A terminal assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said feet areprovided with threaded bores, said fastening means further comprisingmounting bolts rising from said base and screwed into said bores.

4. A terminal assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said legs areadhesively bonded to said base.

5.. A terminal assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said end platesare provided with overhanging lugs hooked onto adjacent casing walls. I

6. A terminal assembly as defined in claim 5 wherein one of said endplates is substantially symmetrical and provided with said lugs onopposite sides whereby an additional series of casings may be joinedthereto.

: 7. A terminal assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein each of saidcasings is provided at its bottom with an elevated seat between saidlegs, each of said terminal carriers having a bottom recess engageableby said seat.

8. A terminal assembly comprising an elongated flexible bar ofresiliently deformable but substantially inextensible insulatingmaterial; a series of closely adjacent and substantially identical flatdielectric casings with at least partly closed bottoms and open topssecured to said bar in the region of said tops, said casings extendingtransversely to said bar and being spreadable at their hottoms upon acoiling of said bar upon a center remote from said bottoms; and a seriesof terminal carriers rel spectively received in said casings, saidcarriers being overlain by said bar, said casings having transversewalls formed with slots that are closed at the top and aligned with saidbar, the latter having depending bosses with locking formations receivedin said slots for locking said casings to said bar.

9. A terminal assembly as defined in claim 8 wherein said lockingformations are in the shape of upstanding barbs.

10. A terminal assembly comprising an elongated flexible bar ofresiliently deformable but substantially inextensible insulatingmaterial; a series of closely adjacent and substantially identical fiatdielectric casings with at least partly closed bottoms and open topssecured to said bar in the region of said tops, said casings extendingtransversely to said bar and being spreadable at their bottoms upon acoiling of said bar upon a center remote from said bottom; and a seriesof terminal carriers respectively received in said casings, saidcarriers being overlain by said bar, said bar being formed with alongitudinal channel above said casings, said bar further comprising astiffening element received in said channel.

11. A terminal assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein said channel isupwardly open, said element bearing identifying markings for eachcasing.

12. A terminal assembly comprising an elongated flexible bar ofresiliently deformable but substantially inextensible insulatingmaterial; a series of closely adjacent and substantially identical flatdielectric casings with at least partly closed bottoms and open topssecured to said bar in the region of said tops, said casings ex tendingtransversely to said bar and being spreadable at their bottoms upon acoiling of said bar upon a center remote from said bottoms; and a seriesof terminal carriers respectively received in said casings, saidcarriers being overlain by said bar, said bar being composed of aplurality of longitudinally juxtaposed layers each sub-- divided intosections, the joints between adjacent sections being relatively offsetin said layers.

13. In a terminal assembly, in combination, an elongated flexible bar ofresiliently deformable insulating material, a series of substantiallyidentical fiat dielectric casings each provided with a pair of slottedwalls extending transversely to said bar at closely juxtaposedlocations, each casing having an open side adjacent said bar andan atleast partly closed side remote therefrom, and a series of terminalcarriers respectively received in said casings, said bar being providedwith transverse projections extending into said casings through the opensides thereof, said projections having barbs received in the slots ofsaid walls for maintaining said casings attached to said bar in aposition in which the latter bears upon said terminal carriers and holdsthem in place within said casings.

14. A terminal assembly as defined in claim 13 wherein said bar isspirally coiled, said casings being spread apart in the region of theirat least partly closed sides.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,396,725 3/1946Thomas 339 s9 2,931,006 3/1960 Klumpp 339-198 3,123,425 3/1964 Blanchet339198 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,177,012 12/1958 France.

EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner. ALFRED S. TRASK, Examiner.

1. A TERMINAL ASSEMBLY COMPRISING AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE BAR OFRESILIENTLY DEFORMABLE BUT SUBSTANTIALLY INEXTENSIBLE INSULATINGMATERIAL; A SERIES OF CLOSELY ADJACENT AND SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL FLATDIELECTRIC CASINGS WITH AT LEAST PARTLY CLOSED BOTTOMS AND OPEN TOPSSECURED TO SAID BAR IN THE REGION OF SAID TOPS, SAID CASINGS EXTENDINGTRANSVERSELY TO SAID BAR AND BEING SPREADABLE AT THEIR BOTTOMS UPON ACOILING OF SAID BAR UPON A CENTER REMOTE FROM SAID BOTTOMS; A SERIES OFTERMINAL CARRIERS RESPECTIVELY RECEIVED IN SAID CASINGS, SAID CARRIERSBEING OVERLAIN BY SAID BAR, AND A BASE SUPPORTING SAID CASINGS; ANDFASTENING MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF END PLATES SECURING SAID CASINGS TOSAID BASE.